Opening and closing means with friction retardation swivel



Dec. 19, 1933. w. FERRls 1,940,408

OPENING AND CLOSING MEANS WITH FRICTION RETARDATION SWIVEL Filed May 13,1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 19, 1933. w. D. FERRIS 1,940,408

OPENING AND CLOSING MEANS WITH FRICT ION RETARDATION SWIVEL Filed May13, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mimm" Patented Dec. 19, 1933 1,940,408

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OPENING AND CLOSING MEANS WITII FRIC- TIONRETARDATION SWIVEL William D. Ferris, Sterling, Ill., assignor to FrantzManufacturing 00., Sterling, 11L, a corporation of Illinois ApplicationMay 13, 1932. Serial No. 611,038

11 Claims. (Cl. -19) This invention relates to friction devices forsprings 4 with the lower portions of the doorpivots, and moreparticularly to devices of this way. The upper corners of the door areprokind for so-called overhead garage doors, and vided with rollers orhangers 5, adapted to travel more particularly for the swivel bearingsof the on the horizontal straight tracks 6, arranged overarms or leversby which doors of this kind are head in the garage or other building.

connected to the door frame. Each bracket 3 has a rigid hub portion 7con- Generally stated, the object of the invention is nected thereto byrivets 8, inserted through the to provide a novel and improvedconstruction holes 9, and through similar holes in the bracket. andarrangement whereby a friction device of this Each hub portion Casting 7a a Cylindrical 10 character is provided, comprising, preferably, a bore10, and has its outer end shaped to fit the sort of lost motionconnection between the friction polygonal opening 11 in the metal disk12, wheredevice and the movable part or member which is by t d k cannotturn 011 a member, and supported by the pivot or swivel of said device,held tightly against the shoulders 13 formed on w y said part or membermay have more or said member. Said disk 12 is also provided with 16 lessmovement without being retarded by the curved Slots 14, and next to thisdi k is a efriction device, and whereby said device will serve tiOn disk5, of co k composition, Of Other to retard only aportion of suchmovement, wheresuitable material, and the other side of this disk by theopening of the garage door, for example, 15 s e a y t inner Side Of themetal is only frictionally retarded at the end of the outer disk 16, asshown.

opening movement, and whereby in closing the Bolts 1'1 are insertedthrough the slots 14 and door it is only frictionally retarded at theend of the holes 18 and 19 in the disks 15 and 16, and the closingmovement, thereby to prevent the e e er i p v With tWO oppositely doorfrom slamming or jolting at the end of P sed P p e a h1g8 0, as ow The jeither movement thereof. cent arm or lever 2 is provided with a lug orIt is also an object to provide certain details stop 2 engagement W tthe lugs 0. 88 Will 80 and features of construction tending to increasehereinafter more fully appear. the general efllciency and thedesirability of a With the arrangement shown, the lug or stop frictiondevice of this particular character. 21 will move away from the lowerlug 20, when To the foregoing and other useful ends, th the door startsto open, and will travel in a cir- 80 invention consists in mattershereinafter set forth a pat until it Strikes the pp 8 85 and claimed andshown in the accompanying by the disk 16, and also the disk 15, will bepardrawings, in whichtially rotated, to whatever extent of rotation isFig. 1 is an inside view of an overhead openpe t ed y e length 01 eSlots 14 in e ing garage door having friction pivots or swivelsstationary disk 12,this partial rotation of the fricll embodying theprinciples of the invention. tion device being characterized bysuflicient fric- Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail horizontal section tion toetard' e fi al Opening movement Of the on line 22 in Fig. 1 of thedrawings. door. Thereafter, when the door is pulled down- Fig. 3 is afront elevation, on a smaller scale wardly and closed, the lug 21 oneach arm 2 will than Fig. 2, of the parts shown in Fig. 2. move downwardin a circular path until it strikes 40 Pig, 4 is a vertical section online H in Fig, the lower lug 20, and in this way the friction 2 of thedrawings. device will be given another partial rotation,

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on line 5-5 in Fig. suffl i n t p p y rtard th fi a sin 1 of the drawings, showing the door in closed movementof the door. Thus, the friction device position. has a lost motionconnection, so to speak, with 45 Fig. 6 is a similar view showing thedoor in the arm or movable member 2, at each side of open position, andshowing certain portions brothe doorway, with the result that during thelost ken away for convenience of illustration. motion there is nofriction, while at each end of Fig. 7 is a perspective view of thefrictional the range of movement of the arms or members pivot or swiveldevice, showing the parts thereof 2, the lost motion ceases and thefriction device 50 separated. develops the desired friction to properlyretard As thus illustrated, the invention is employed the final openingand closing movement of the in connection with a garage door comprisingthe door. rigid door 1, connected by arms 2 with the pivot It will beunderstood that each arm or lever 2 or swivel brackets 3, mounted on thedoor frame, is supported on the end of the pivot or swivel the upperends of these arms being connected by pin 22 inserted through the bore10 previously mentioned, this pivot or pin being held in place by asuitable formation of its ends, or by any suitable means, but thefriction device may be used on pivots or swivels of different kinds, andwlie it is particularly useful in the combination shown and described,it may be used for other purposes, and on different kinds of pivots orswivels, without departing from the spirit and the broader aspects ofthe invention.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In. a structure of the class described, in combination with a pivotedor swiveled .memberyopening and closing door means supported by saidmember and whereby the member necessarily has the same predeterminedextent of movement each time said means is opened and closed, a frictiondevice on the pivot or swivel, and a lost motion connection between saiddevice and said member, serving to operate said device to developfriction therein during the final motion of said door means in both theopening and closing thereof, while preventing the operation of saiddevice during the intermediate motion of said door means in eachdirection.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1, said lost motion connectioncomprising a pair of oppositely disposed peripheral projections on saiddevice, and means on said member for alternately engaging saidprojections.

3. A structure as specified in claim 1, said lost motion connectioncomprising a pair of oppositely disposed peripheral projections on saiddevice, and means on said member for alternately engaging saidprojections, the range of movement of said member being suilicient tomove each projection, when finally engaged, a distance therewith.

4. A structure as specified in claim 1, said lost motion connectioncomprising inter-engaging elements having operative engagement only forthe final portion of the motion of said member in each directionthereof.

5. A structure as specified in claim 1, said device comprising a diskfixed against rotation on the swivel bearing, an outer disk rotatableabout the axis of said' pivot or swivel, and a friction disk interposedbetween said fixed disk and said outer disk, together with bolts holdingthe three disks together, the fixed disk having curved slots for saidbolts, and said lost motion connection being interposed between saidouter disk and said member.

6. A structure as set forth in claim 1, said member being a swinging armforming a connection between an overhead opening door and the inside ofthe building, whereby said friction device is efl'ectual to frictionallyretard the final movement of said arm away from normal position, i theopening of the door, and also the final movement of said arm into normalposition in the closing of the door.

7. A structure as set forth in claim 1, said member being a swinging armforming a connection between an overhead opening door and the inside ofthe building, whereby said friction device is effectual to frictionallyretard the final movement of said arm away from normal position, in theopening of the door, and also the final movement of said arm into normalposition in the closing of the door, in combination with spring meansalso connected to said arm to assist in said movement away from normalposition, and to cushion the return movement.

8. In a structure of the class described, in combination with a pivotedor swiveled member, a movable object controlled by said member, afriction device on the pivot or swivel, and a lost motion connectionbetween said device and said member, serving to operate said device todevelop friction therein during-the final motion of said object, in bothdirections thereof, while preventing the operation of said device duringthe other motion of said object, said device comprising a disk fixedagainst rotation on the swivel bearing, an outer disk rotatable aboutthe axis of said pivot or swivel, and a friction disk interposed betweensaid fixed disk and said outer disk, together with bolts holding thethree disks together, the fixed disk having curved slots for said bolts,and said lost motion connection being interposed between said outer diskand said member.

9. A structure as specified in claim 8, comprising a movable memberhaving a lost motion connection with said outer disk.

10. A structure as specified in claim 8, said bearing having a squareportion, and said fixed disk having a central opening fitting saidsquare portion, means for mounting said bearing, and means including amovable swivel bolt for detachably holding the disks in position on saidbearing.

11. A structure as specified in claim 8, comprising means foroscillating said outer disk.

WILLIAMD.FERRIS.

